Igor Karkaroff drabbles
by Czarna Pantera
Summary: A series of drabbles about Igor Karkaroff and his life. Severus Snape appears also from time to time.
1. Tea

**Tea**

The Great Hall, breakfast.

„Earl Grey."

„Russian blend."

„Earl Grey."

„Russian blend."

"You're biased and your local patriotism is shining through."

"That's not true. Apparently, it's good."

Snape didn't look convinced. He mixed the contents of his cup with a spoon and looked impatiently at the lees, drowning slowly.

„Sugar, perhaps?", asked Severus.

Karkaroff shuddered.

„I haven't fallen so low. Never."

„Milk?", asked Snape. He tried to push the lees back with his spoon but it didn't work.

_They are always coming back_, he thought, slightly irritated.

"Now that would be a crime", said Igor decisively.

"You can see crime there", murmured Severus, taking a sip of his tea and nodding his head into the direction Filius Flitwick, who was sitting several chairs away.

Karkaroff looked at the small Charms Professor. Flitwick was drinking something that probably didn't deserve to be called tea.

"Tea bags?", Igor asked himself, extending his hand to pick up a cup of freshly brewed best Russian tea blend. "_Ja w eto nie wierju_"

_Note:_

_(in Russian)_ I don't believe in that.


	2. Journey

**Journey**

„How was your journey?" asked Dumbledore politely. All teachers, including the three Headmasters, were standing near the entrance doors and waiting for the students to fill the Entrance Hall.

„It was fine. We had had some trouble with swimming ice on Barents's Sea, but then it went without problems."

„Iz it long such a journey by a ship?" asked Madam Maxime with interest.

„It takes more or less three days" said Karkaroff, wondering what was the point of that seemingly innocent question.

„So much?" said Maxime. Igor could hear the contempt in her voice. „Our took seizteen 'ours."

Karkaroff gritted his teeth. He had no intention of explaining to these ignorants how the whole teleportation system of such a big magical object worked and what were its stipulations and limits.

„It would be faster if ze direction of ze wind was better..." said Beauxbaton's Headmistress.

„I see... But for a sailboat only the lack of wind is not good," Karkaroff noticed coldly. „To be precise, the full speed of our ship is forty two knots."

„And what 'append if a sail tear off?"

„That is almost impossible." Now Karkaroff voice was icy. „But in such an impossible case we would have another set of sails. Anyhow, without sails the ship would not sink" he told Maxime with a smile both uncontous and amiable. „But I'm not quite sure that your carriage would stay in air if, of course, in a very unfortunately case, the abraxans would break off their harness by pulling it too hard... I have heard that they are rather whimsical."

Maxime didn't seem too pleased upon hearing those words but she wasn't able to find a suitable repartee. Dumbledore noticed that the conversation was heading in a wrong way altogether and decided it was time to intervene.

„Let's not stay outside. Step inside, please"

They stepped. But they also held off each other.

If Dumbledore wasn't an inveterate optimist he would think: „That's a rather nice way to start".


	3. Conscience

**Conscience**

_"The night flower called conscience blooms in silence and darkness"_

_„Cavalier de Lagardére", Paul Fèval_

Igor Karkaroff hardly ever thought about his past. He didn't regret what he had done and who he had been. At least he hadn't changed too much over all those years. He had never tried to live obeying all the established rules – he adapted them to his own necessities.

But on those nights when he was waiting for the sleep that wouldn't come, memories were coming back to him. Then he knew he had a conscience. He was pondering is deeds against his own will. Even if he didn't want to think about them, he couldn't stop that from happening. And acting as if he didn't care was pointless. Igor could deceive everyone but he couldn't deceive himself.

He wasn't afraid of the darkness. He was afraid of what could be hiding in it. On restless nights he would stare at the ceiling or at the stars glimmering on a small scrap of the night sky visible thorough the window but the scenes passing before his eyes were different. He could be surrounded by silence but voices of those who had died long ago were still echoing in his head. His conscience reminded him. And it wouldn't let him forget about itself until the darkness of the night was replaced by daylight.

Karkaroff quickly forgot about what was bothering him during a restless night. He wasn't afraid of the next one. In the evening he was so usually exhausted that he fell asleep instantly.

But those little pangs of conscience were always coming back to him.

And Igor knew that he wasn't able to get rid of them.


	4. Newspaper

**Newspaper**

The Great Hall, breakfast.

„So what are the news?" asked Igor.

Snape folded _Daily Prophet_ and shot him a sideways look.

„It's always this same."

„What?"

„You couldn't order yourself a newspaper, could you?"

„I could"" Igor agreed. „But what for?"

„Are you saving?"

„As always."

Snape sighed.

„Whatever. Here you are. You should take a look at this" he said, handing over the newspaper to Karkaroff. „There're writing about the Tournament"

„Really?" asked Igor sharply and quickly started reading the article. The expression of his face changed rapidly as he scanned the text. „Is there a single word about Potter not being the only champion participating in the Tournament?" he growled.

„In the last line there is a single mention that other champions survived the meeting with the dragons as well, I suppose" said Snape carelessly, taking a sip of his Earl Grey. There still were some lees swimming on the surface. They hadn't drowned yet.

„What a pile of rubbish" said Igor decisively, folding up the newspaper.

„I couldn't agree with you more for once..."


	5. Fuddle

**Fuddle**

„Severus... you know I would never..."

„You're lying, Karkaroff. You're lying, as always", said Snape. He was speaking a bit slower than usually but but the pronunciation was still rather good.

„I would give every name. They are all worth each other, but not you, my only friend...

„You're lying," The Potions Master repeated. „You'd give them the name of your own mother.

„Severus, you must understand me... I was in...", Karkaroff hesitated „...a critical situation. I was desperate!"

„No, I don't understand. And I still think we are not on first-name terms." He was restrained.

„Why are you still keeping that distance? We've known each other for so long..."

Severus eyed Igor suspiciously.

„I don't remember you sending me a Christmas card."

„I send you one!" revolted Karkaroff.

Snape was silent for a while as if he were thinking intensively.

„Ah, I remember now. It was that one with a _short_ mention that sounded somewhat like _couldn't you __find for me some of rather illegal potions ingredients of poitions?_ And the list was only two pages length."

„It wasn't a problem for you, though..."

„Really?"

„Potions... They're your true passion", said Igor and fell silent for a while. He looked lost in his memories. „You were always like that, Severus. Since I've known you. You'd only ever stand over your cauldron ...

„I don't see anything bad in standing over my cauldron..."

„...or doing research in the Dark Arts..."

„Look who's talking now!" said Snape. „And we are not on first-name terms", he reminded himself after a while.

„We can change it, can't we?" - Karkaroff smiled. Almost honestly

„I'll think about it..."

„ It won't create a threat against you... Severus..."

Snape gave him a sideways look. The amount of drunk alcohol seemed to weaken his defensive mechanisms because he said:

„Well... If it's so important for you... Be it so, Igor."

„So, _na zdarowie!_"

In Russian – _For good health_.


	6. Acquaintance

**Acquaintance**

Igor wasn't too suprised when he saw him among Hogwarts' staff. He had known that Severus Snape was working for Dumbledore. Karkaroff thought briefly about how the Wizarding educational system seemed to have extraordinary luck concerning former Death Eaters as professors.

Snape hadn't changed through all these years. Clad in his usual black robes he resembled a very grim and overgrown bat.

They were seated more or less next to each other. There were only two people between them – Ludo Bagman and Minerva McGonagall. Snape didn't seem to be content about that fact. What's more, he didn't seem anything. To be straightforward, he was ignoring Karkaroff's presence completely and didn't even notice his existence.

Igor spend most of time on a conversation with Dumbledore. But when the feast came to an end, Karkaroff decided to try and talk with his old acquaintance. He approached Snape and told him:

„And so? You're going to act as if we didn't know each other, aren't you?"

There was no answer. Snape only gave him a very nasty look. If Karkaroff had ever been wondering if Snape had known which names were given during the trial he would have been sure now that he had.

„Severus..."

„Firstly", said Snape with a silent but also sharp voice, „We aren't on first-name terms. Secondly, we have nothing to talk about."

Upon hearing that cold voice, Karkaroff suddenly lost his confidence, just like a Kneazle imprudently walking on the surface of a frozen lake and falling down an ice-hole.

The Potions Master spun around, his long black cloak billowing out behind him, and he left Karkaroff without looking back. Igor began winding his goatee around his finger while pondering how to lower Snape's antipathy. Especially that he had to discuss a serious problem with him...


End file.
